A former member of the Imo House of Assembly, Ngozi Ogbu, abducted by suspected Biafra agitators, has been released after 11 days in captivity.
PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that Mr Ogbu, who also served as a former chairperson of Okigwe Local Government Area of Imo State, was abducted at Onuimo Local Government Area of the state on 7 September.
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This newspaper also reported that one of the hoodlums who abducted the former lawmaker was seen in a now viral clip claiming to be a member of the Biafra Liberation Army, an armed militant wing of the Autopilot IPOB.
Autopilot is a faction of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra founded by the jailed Simon Ekpa.
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The armed person also vowed to kill Mr Ogbu if authorities and villagers failed to withdraw security operatives reportedly deployed in a place known as White House in Okigwe within four days, which elapsed on Tuesday.
The police in Imo State said on Sunday that they had ordered the immediate deployment of police operatives from tactical units to rescue the former lawmaker.
The Imo State Government had assured that it was “doing everything within its power to secure the safe release” of Mr Ogbu.
Release from captivity
When contacted on Thursday, the police spokesperson in Imo State, Henry Okoye, confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES that Mr Ogbu had been released.
Mr Okoye, a deputy superintendent of police, said the former lawmaker was freed on Wednesday night.
The police spokesperson claimed the hoodlums released Mr Ogbu due to “intensive pressure” on them by security operatives.
He said the police in the state were working in synergy with other security agencies to ensure the abductors were tracked down.
Notorious terror kingpin, others feared killed
The release of the former lawmaker came barely 24 hours after troops of the Nigerian Army raided a camp belonging to suspected Biafra agitators in Okigwe Local Government Area of Imo State.
A notorious terror kingpin, Ifeanyi Eze, and his fighters in Imo were feared killed in the operation.
Mr Eze, also known as Gentle De Yahoo, had been linked to growing attacks in Okigwe and other parts of Imo State, including the recent murder of three of his fighters in Okigwe Area of the state.
Increased attacks
Like other states in Nigeria’s south-east, security has deteriorated in Imo State with frequent attacks by armed persons.
The attacks often target security agencies, government officials, and facilities.
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Hundreds of people have been killed or abducted, and several others have been injured in some of the attacks in the region.
The Nigerian government has repeatedly accused IPOB of being responsible for the deadly attacks in the region.
But the separatist group has repeatedly denied its involvement in the attacks.
IPOB is a group leading agitation for an independent state of Biafra, which it wants carved out from the South-east and some parts of the South-south Nigeria.
